One word of advice to those opponents ready to throw dirt atop the Steinert High School football team this fall: Don’t.

The Spartans have to try to replace The Times’ Player of the Year and record-setting quarterback Adam Riese, now at the University of New Hampshire, and have some major holes to fill on the defensive side. However, they believe they have enough talent to be competitive with most of the teams on the schedule and maybe get back into the state playoffs.

“We have talent, what we don’t have is experience,” said Dan Caruso, The Times’ Coach of the Year last season. “What we know is every team we play will be gunning for us. We know every game is going to be a dogfight ... there aren’t going to be any games that are over at halftime this year.”

“Knowing people aren’t expecting much is motivation for us,” senior Eddie Ashley said. “We’d like to get back to the championship game, and we think we have the potential to do it.”

Steinert was the Cinderella story of the 2011 season. The Spartans finished 9-3, losing in the Central Jersey Group III title game to Neptune, 47-28. The consensus is Steinert will not be able to duplicate last year’s performance.

“There were games when we scored 30 and 40 points last year,” Caruso said. “This year, we’re going to need to win by grinding it out.”

Steinert has the capability to dominate with its rushing game. The Spartans return three running backs in Ashley, Jeff Mattonelli (390 yards, 4 TDs) and Jarius Prather (120 yards). Caruso admitted the coaching staff is looking for creative ways to get all three on the field at the same time. The Spartans also return reliable Vanel Dossous (26 catches, 603 yards, 9 TDs.)

“Even though Riese is gone, there is a group of players returning with experience,” Mattonelli said. “We do have some weapons, and I think all of us learned something from the experiences we had last season.”

The question is, who will take over for Riese at quarterback?

Caruso said senior John Zim, last year’s back-up, and junior Chris Scrodo will compete for the starting quarterback job.

“Zim is big (6-foot-2) and intelligent and has the intangibles to be a good quarterback,” Caruso said. “Scrodo plays linebacker on defense and brings that mentality to the quarterback position and has a strong arm. I’d like one kid to win the job. I don’t like the idea of quarterback by committee.”

With inexperience under center, success in the rushing game will be critical early.

“By the end of last season we were 80 percent pass and 20 percent run,” Caruso said. “This year, we need to be 70 percent run and 30 percent pass. We need to take pressure off our quarterbacks. We need to throw the ball when we want to throw it. And we need to control the clock.”

“Both our quarterbacks have looked good in practice,” Dossous said.

Defensively, however, Steinert will be rebuilding. The Spartans have to completely revamp their linebacking corps and replace eight starters overall.

“We have some voids to fill,” Mattonelli said. “But we do have some guys who played last year returning.”

Asante and senior Mike Remboski (6-1, 275) are two strong players up front.

Ashley made 89 tackles with three interceptions from his safety spot last year, and Mattonelli was another secondary starter, who made 34 tackles with a pair of interceptions last year. Steinert will struggle with depth — at least early on.

“Personally, I like being the underdog,” said tackle Enoch Asante, who has committed to the University of Massachusetts. “But knowing people will be saving their best for us is making us all work harder. I know the linemen will all be prepared to go both ways.”